13-Year-Old Girl Dies After Setting Herself On Fire In Odisha

A 13-year-old Class 8 student died after setting herself on fire in Odisha's Bargarh district on Monday morning, the fourth such incident in the state within a month, following similar cases in Balasore, Balanga, and Kendrapara.

The girl was visiting her maternal uncle's house and was found unconscious with severe burns in a football field in Firingimal village in Bargarh. She had suffered severe burns and was rushed to Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences And Research (VIMSAR) hospital, Burla where she succumbed to her injuries.

Police said she used petrol to immolate herself, though the reason remains unknown.

The police informed, "The reason behind the self-immolation is not yet known. The victim, a class 8 student, used petrol to set herself on fire," PTI reported.

Villagers had raised concerns over the delayed emergency response, reporting that the ambulance took more than 45 minutes to arrive. During that time, locals provided first aid and repeatedly sought help from authorities. The community has criticised both the ambulance services and the police for their slow response.

The victim was believed to be from the Tendapatar area. Authorities are yet to receive statements from the girl's family, and an official investigation is underway to determine if any foul play was involved in the incident.

On July 12, a 20-year-old woman student in Balasore set herself ablaze on her college campus and died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14.

On July 19, a minor girl was allegedly set on fire by three miscreants in Balanga and died at AIIMS Delhi on August 2.

The third incident took place in Kendrapara district on August 6, when a third-year undergraduate woman college student's charred body was found from her house under Pattamundai (rural) police station area.

(With inputs from Devv Kumar and news agency)